How Russian hitmen tried assassinating an ex-Kremlin spy

Vladimir Putin authorised the Salisbury poisonings ¿as a public demonstration of Russian power¿ globally, an inquiry heard.The despot is said to have sent two GRU (Russian military intelligence) agents to the Wiltshire city in 2018 to smear nerve agent Novichok on former Russian spy Sergei Skripal¿s door handle in a twisted show of strength.He and daughter Yulia fell seriously ill in hospital, while member of the public Dawn Sturgess later died after coming into the fake perfume bottle used to smuggle the poison into the UK.An inquiry into the 'astonishing reckless' attacks today found ¿the operation to assassinate Sergei Skripal must have been authorised at the highest level, by President Putin¿.